- Gil Leora
There’s nary a coffee shop or bar in Chicago these days that doesn’t display the Windy City Rollers’ league poster in their window come derby season. Even those who have never been to a bout are well aware of the group of bad-ass girls who are slamming into each other on four wheels. Some people have even turned to derby as a recreational fitness regimen (OK, I’m totally talking about myself here). It’s funny, then, to think that just over ten years ago the league didn’t exist.
Without a proper practice or competition venue, the first sessions took place at Logan Square Auditorium. Members would show up to practice early to peel gum off the floor and hammer in rogue nails, just one example of the instant and extreme dedication every inaugural member had to the league.
“I would love to see roller derby in the Olympics, and I think it’s on the right track,” Capone says. “I never would have been able to say that ten years ago.”
